Human milk produced in a lab for babies is just three to five years away!
Certainly something that sounds too good to be true...
Breastfeeding. As much as it is highly recommended by the World Health Organisation, it is not something that is easy to produce for many mothers. For those unable to feed their babies, feelings of guilt creep in...
Leila Strickland, who experienced first hand the struggle, decided to look into alternate ways of being able to feed babies milk, outside of formula, of course.
"BIOMILQ is aiming to create human milk-producing cells in much the same way that some companies are producing lab-grown meat. The North Carolina-based startup received a $3.5 million investment from Breakthrough Energy Ventures, a fund started by Bill Gates, The Times reported in June 2020." (English Alarabiya)
The team at BIOMILQ are working on creating artificial human milk by using human breast tissue as well as breastmilk donated by local women.
Sounds like something out of a movie, right?
Well, it's not. The breastmilk donors receive a gift card to Target stores in exchange for their help.
The company is still three to five years away from going to market, and still require approval as to the safety of the product with infants.
"Strickland says that the artificial milk will provide a nutrient profile closer to that of human milk, compared to baby formula based on cow milk." (English Alarabiya)
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